A wind turbine is a machine that uses the kinetic energy of wind to generate electricity or to perform other useful work. Components in a wind turbine nacelle usually include a gearbox, generator, yaw drive, and blade pitch actuation system. Fluids used in turbines include, but are not limited to, coolant for cooling electronic and mechanical components, gear oil in gearboxes for lubrication and cooling, grease for lubricating bearings, and hydraulic fluid in actuation systems.
There are a variety of ways in which these fluids can be spilled, leaked, etc. Fluids can be spilled during commissioning or during normal maintenance of gearboxes and hydraulic systems. Seals in gearboxes, cooling systems, and hydraulic systems can fail and leak. High pressure fluid lines can burst.
The wind turbine components are generally mounted to a frame, which is then bolted to a large bearing on the top of the tower. Sometimes the components are modular, bolting to each other to minimize or eliminate extra framework. In either case, a nacelle or cover is added to provide protection from the weather. The nacelle has a large hole in the bottom where the frame is bolted to the bearing and tower top. The nacelle can rotate around on the top of the tower to face the wind turbine blades into the wind. This makes it very difficult to contain any leaking fluids, which simply fall out of the bottom of the nacelle, where they fall to the ground or run down the outside of the tower.
Spilled and leaked fluids can cause environmental, operational, and visual concerns. For example, fluids exiting the nacelle may flow down the tower where they are blown from the tower by the wind or flow down the tower to the ground. Further, fluids on the towers can cause streaking and attract dirt. In order to maintain visual aesthetics, fluid must be periodically washed from towers. Wash runoff then carries the fluids into the surrounding environment.
It would be advantageous to provide a device which would prevent spilled or leaked fluids from escaping into the surrounding environment or damaging the visual aesthetics of a wind turbine. It would also be advantageous to prevent runoff from periodic tower washing from flowing into the surrounding environment.